


The Threads that Bind Us

by Junoandscout



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, M/M, My first fic, Slow Burn, implied jesse mcree/hanzo shimada
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 06:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13564560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junoandscout/pseuds/Junoandscout
Summary: When Overwatch ended, Fareeha thought she lost everything- her mother, her family, her home, and her closest friend, Angela Ziegler. Now, under world crisis, Overwatch has reformed, and her relationship with Angela has grown. But under the pressure of war, returning faces and the threat of Talon- can the two be together?





	1. Endings and Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fareeha returns to Overwatch after 6 years, and quickly finds herself asking a reluctant Angela to do so too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! This is my first fic. It's going to be very story based- so it's going to be a long(ish) read. I really hope to capture the characters well. Whilst it's a Pharmercy fic, I wanted a big part of it to be drawing on the parallels of Jack and Gabe- so expect for a lot of that ship to eventually turn up. I'd love feedback, so don't hold back on that front. 
> 
> I'll be posting the first 2 chapters up straight away, as they're done. 
> 
> Also, in this chapter, I have created an OC out of pure convenience.

_Prologue_

Fareeha Amari stared at her mother’s gravestone, blankly. Ana Amari had gone missing on an Overwatch rescue mission, and now, after four months, was presumed dead. Fareeha, who was working in Egypt under the Egyptian army when the death was announced, tried to cry at the funeral, tried to express an emotion beyond the distant look she had carried since her mother’s disappearance; but, nothing. Afterwards, members of the Overwatch team tried to talk to her, telling her they would “always be there for her” and how her mother would have wanted her to be happy. Even Gabriel, who over the past few years had transformed into someone she barley recognised, seemed to put on a caring front for her. Yet no emotions came. A week later, and she was at the gravestone-situated in one of the most scenic parts of the Gibraltar base- trying to muster up some reaction.

 She thought about the good times with her mother: being taught to fight, playing games with the rest of the Overwatch team, being read stories as a child. She thought of the bad times: going weeks without seeing her, her often cold temperament, her refusal to let Fareeha get involved in Overwatch as she got older.

Nothing.

She then tried to think about her situation: she had lost her mother at 26, the two father figures in her life were being dragged under by their own demons too (her mother had told her very little about her real father), and Overwatch seemed to be coming to an end with them.

 

 It was the last thought that got her. The truth was, she didn’t quite believe her mother was dead. There was no corpse, no official confirmation- nothing, except the lack of her presence. But the end of Overwatch was happening before Fareeha’s very eyes. Public discontent was rising rapidly, and politicians across the world were pushing for the organisation to be disbanded. Overwatch was Fareeha’s whole life, and she was watching it fall apart. In her mind, her mother was the only one who had a chance of keeping it all together…and now she was gone. Dead? Probably not, Fareeha thought. But that made it worse, in a way. Her mother had left Fareeha at the time she needed her most.

 

  This feeling of hopelessness quickly transformed into anger, and Fareeha embraced the first solid emotion she had felt in months. She closed her eyes and let it flow through her. Before she could stop it, a furious scream rocketed from her mouth.

“Fareeha?”

 

 Fareeha went silent, trying to collect the rage running from her and gain composure. She paused, not wanting to look around and face a clearly concerned Angela, whose voice she recognised instantly.

“Fareeha, talk to me” Angela said, her voice hushed and tentative.

“I’m fine.” Fareeha replied.

“Fareh…”

Fareeha sighed and turned around, hoping to smile and reassure her friend that she was okay. However, that did not happen. The moment Fareeha saw Angela’s face- Angela’s beautiful, ethereal face- she broke down in tears. Angela said nothing as she walked towards her and hugged her tightly.

“It will be ok Fareeha, it will be ok.”

* * *

 

Chapter 1

 

_6 years later_

 

“Fareeha!” a voice called as Fareeha got off the jet that had just flew her to the Gibraltar base.

“It’s Pharah now, Lena.” Fareeha laughed, before receiving a hug from the British speedster.

Lena crinkled her nose, as if to protest. “Blimey, you seemed to have taken the whole code-name thing seriously.” 

“Eh, it was the nickname I got back in the army, and it’s easier to say than “Fareeha” anyway”. 

“Well _Pharah_ , I’m so glad you’re here. I was worried you wouldn’t respond to Winston’s recall, given you became the captain of the Helix crew and all.”

“I’d never ignore a call from Overwatch, Lena. The world needs it now more than ever.”

 Lena gave a warm smile. Otherwise known as Tracer, Lena had always meant a lot to Fareeha, and had made an active effort to keep in touch with most of the Overwatch team. Despite being a later addition to the group, she had made an impact on everyone, becoming notorious for her optimism and friendliness. Fareeha always felt a sense of belonging when she saw her.

“So,” Lena chirped, “let’s give you the tour. Not that you really need one, but everything is a bit topsy-turvy at the base at the moment.”

 

The base was indeed a mess, with half-destroyed pieces of furniture gathered in corners, and equipment scattered randomly in rooms for testing. As she looked around, Fareeha became aware of the sickly sinking feeling forming in her chest. To see the base so decayed and run down was devastating, yet there was a certain nostalgia towards being reunited with the place. Whilst she grew up in the main headquarters in Switzerland, the central Overwatch team frequently visited other locations, and this base had been both her and her mother’s favourite. Lena showed her to her room, which was not unlike the one she had as a child, and told her there would be a meeting with the others in 10 minutes.

“I can’t wait for you to see everyone. It’s great seeing some of the old team back together!” Lena said as she walked out the door.

“Wait, who is back anyway?” Fareeha called.

“Ah, you’ll have to wait and see…”

 

 Fareeha grinned as she put down her bags and fell onto the bed. She was excited to see anyone from the old days, but there was one person in particular that had been on her mind ever since she received the recall message. Angela Ziegla. Mercy. The woman that Fareeha had had a crush on ever since they met. She remembered it clearly: Fareeha was 12, and Angela was 17. She was amazed that this girl, not much older than herself, was a ground-breaking surgeon, worthy of joining Overwatch’s ranks. Together with Jesse Mcree, the young man who joined Blackwatch as Gabriel’s protégé, they developed a strong friendship that lasted nearly 15 years. For Fareeha though, what she felt towards Angela was something more. She never said anything- the relationship between Jack and Gabriel had shown that romances were almost certainly doomed under Overwatch, and Angela had never shown any outward interest in Fareeha as far as she could tell. So, she repressed it, content with the friendship she had. When Overwatch disbanded, Fareeha lost contact with almost everyone, Angela included. She pushed her to the back of her mind, and got on with her life. Yet now the thought of seeing her again filled her with joy.

 She slowly made her way to the meeting room, still taking in the oddness of being back in one of the places in which she grew up. As she got closer, she recognised a familiar voice.

“Now all a’hm saying is that blonde _might_ be a good look for me. It’s like…”

“Blonde would look terrible on you Jesse”, Fareeha responded as she walked through the door.

“FAREEHA!” Jessa exclaimed.

“It’s Pharah.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just c’mere and give me a hug.”

Fareeha immediately noticed how much older Mcree looked. His hair had become thinner and dry, and his face slightly wrinkled. Still, he remained ruggedly handsome, somehow continuing to pull off the ridiculous old-timey cowboy look.

“Long time no see.” Mcree grinned.

“Yes. The last time I saw you, you were running off.” Fareeha retorted, trying to maintain a lightness to her voice.

“A’hm sorry Fareeha. I am. I regret it…and that’s why I’m here now.”

Fareeha put her hand on Mcree’s shoulder and smiled “I know...and call me Pharah.”

It seemed the rest of the team were holding back to give the two some space, because as soon as Mcree stepped away, a huddle of bodies came to say hello their old friend.

 There was Lena, of course, who seemed to want to rehash the welcoming she gave at the jet less than an hour ago. Winston was there too, as well as Reinhart and Tobjorn. New to the team was a restored Bastion unit, which Tobjorn had vouched for wholeheartedly, and a young man in a lime-green and black outfit with rollarskates, who Fareeha immediately recognised to be Lucio. Lucio had gained fame after leading an uprising in a Brazilian community against the Vishkar corporation, a private company that had taken over the land and oppressed its people.  Once free of the huddle, Fareeha approached him.

“It’s an honour to meet you Lucio. What you did was incredibly brave. We need more people like you in the world.”

“Thank you. It’s an honour to meet you too, Pharah. I can’t wait to start working with you all.”

Fareeha smiled and found a seat. No Angela, she thought to herself. She shouldn’t be surprised, she knew that Angela had her reservations about Overwatch’s methods, and seemed to be fine with its dissolution. Yet part of Fareeha thought that she would be able to see the urgency of the situation, and the need for Overwatch’s return. The world was turning into chaos. It was no longer just the Omnic crisis- conflict seemed to be occurring everywhere, and neither individual governments or the UN could do much to stop it.

 

Winston called everyone to attention and began the meeting.

“So, ahem, hello everyone. Welcome to the first formal meeting of Overwatch point two, aheh. Now, we all know the matter at hand- war has sprung up around the world, seemingly all at once, and there is a desperate need to stop it. It seems that there is a force that is perpetuating pre-existing tensions within various regions. Issues between omnics and humans, regional unease, and so forth- they all existed prior to this past year. Yet virtually all of them have quickly escalated into conflict.”

 Winston tapped the screen he was presenting off of, which prompted two pictures of the figures many people had learned to fear to appear.

 “The common denominator in every case is Talon- a terrorist organisation fronted by Akande Ogundimu, or “Doomfist”, and a mysterious figure known as “the Reaper”, who I encountered a month ago. We don’t quite know what their aim is yet. None of their actions seemed to indicate a motive. Unfortunately, whatever their goal is, it does seem to include targeting former Overwatch agents. So far three former operatives from the New York base have been murdered- all of them by Reaper.”

 A sombre atmosphere filled the room, prompting Winston to finish his introductory briefing with the hope of a solution.

“This is why I recalled you. The world needs to bring down Talon and end this chaos. I know that together, we can save the day once more.”

 

 “That’s all well and good boss,” Mcree spoke up, “but how do we plan on doing this? There’s what, eight of us. Doesn’t seem like a lot to me.”

“Well Mcree, that’s not strictly true. We have other agents on their way, and there’s a few low-level missions I have for you all whilst we wait for the “troops”, as you might, ah, say.”

“What other agents?” Fareeha asked, not being able to stop herself.

“Let’s see, erm. Well, Genji Shimada was here last week when we tried to stop Doomfist’s breakout (that was a failure), but he’s gone back to Japan to try and recruit his brother…”

“Now wait a second!” Torbjorn erupted, the suddenness of his loud voice jolting Pharah off her chair. “Didn’t his brother try to kill him? Why are we letting a person like THAT on our team?”

Winston cleared his voice, trying to maintain patience for each time he was interrupted, “I trust Genji on this one- he said his brother will only come if his heart is in the right place. And besides, you seem to forget that Overwatch has a history of taking in people with questionable pasts…”

Mcree bowed his head at the example clearly aimed at him.

“What about Angela?” Fareeha said, wincing in embarrassment as she spoke.

“Angela said she did not want to join, Fareeha. I’m sorry, I know how much she meant to you-all of Overwatch in fact,-and I must admit, we could use her talents. But we can’t force her.”

 Accepting the situation she put herself in, Fareeha continued. “No, we can’t, but we can persuade her. I know Angela, she’ll soon realise she can’t confine herself to one place whilst all these people are suffering anyway. If…if I talk to her in person, I can get her with us quicker.”

Lena, who was sitting behind Fareeha, leaned over and whispered, “Hey, “Pharah”, your very obvious crush on Dr. Ziegler is very obvious”.

“Shhh…” Fareeha scolded.

 Winston contemplated as the room waited for his answer. Everyone knew Fareeha was right, Angela most likely hated being assigned to one part of the world, when the potential to help others globally was there. 

“Hmmm. Maybe it’s not a bad idea. That said, you have only just got here”

“I don’t mind. Overwatch wouldn’t be the same without Angela. Without Mercy.”

Silence

“Ok Ms. Amari, you’re going to Oasis.”

* * *

 

Sipping her tea in a small cafe, Angela Ziegler took in her surroundings. Oasis, a splendid city in Iraq, truly fascinated the doctor. The entire city was built around the idea of advancing knowledge and discovery, which Angela, of course, took no issue with. Yet many of its leading minds were infamous for their twisted methods, and lack of care for the means that justified their ends. Like most of the biggest cities in the world, Oasis had broken into conflict in the past year. Omnic against human, human against human, omnic against omnic- many fractions had formed between the population. And, as always, innocents were being caught in the crossfire. That’s why Angela was here- to protect the innocent. Yet at the back of her mind she knew she could be doing more. She also knew that this was the very reason why her old friend- Fareeha Amari- had insisted she made a visit. Before the meeting, Angela had prepared herself for Fareeha’s argument. She was ready to explain, again, that she did not want to return to violence, no less to the organisation that tended to be on the front lines.

 As she lingered on these thoughts, a voice spoke that she hadn’t heard in years.

“Hey Ange.” Fareeha said, her statuesque figure blocking out the hot sun.

Angela got up to welcome her old friend, not quite knowing how to interact with someone she hadn’t seen in so long, “Hello Fareeha. I’ve got herbal tea for us both. It’s still hot.”

Fareeha smiled, touched by the fact that Angela had remembered her fondness for tea.

Once sat down, Angela sighed, and said, “So, I know why you’re here Fareeha, and I’d much rather use this time to catch up with you than you try and convince me into something that I will not do.”

“I don’t see why I can’t do both.” Fareeha replied, smirking under her large, black sunglasses.

 Fareeha had always been an attractive woman, despite being completely oblivious to it. Yet Angela noticed a certain confidence about her that she did not have the last time she saw her. Not that Fareeha hadn’t always have that endearing cheek that Angela was drawn to; but there was instead something different in the way that she carried herself that Angela found surprisingly different.

“Ok, you win. Can we at least catch up before you start on Overwatch?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Although I don’t really know where to start. So much has changed in 5 years.”

Angela looked down, “Indeed, and I thought for the better. I never stopped working as a doctor in crisis areas after the fall of Overwatch, but now it’s something different. It’s as if all that Overwatch did was for nothing.”

“Angela, it wasn’t all for nothing. Overwatch saved the world. It was in those final years where it all fell apart.” Fareeha said, a hint of offense in her voice.

“Overwatch was never the righteous organisation it made itself out to be. They recruited me as a 17-year-old, which is ghastly in its own right. And the things I saw Fareeha…”

“I know. I’ve seen them too. Being in the Egyptian army wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows.”

“I heard you finished there” Angela responded, trying to change the direction of the conversation, which she realised had taken a dark turn.

“Yeah, joined Helix. We guard the Temple of Anubis and the technology that’s inside it. It’s been a rough few months, but when I was called by Winston, I…I couldn’t say no. Reforming Overwatch is the only thing that makes sense to me right now.” Fareeha said, before smiling, “Besides, I got to take my awesome suit. It’s like a fighter jet, that you can WEAR Angela. I’m all like pew, pew, pew, JUSTICE RAINS FROM ABOVE!”

Angela giggled, “Well I’m glad you enjoy it. I hope you’ve had time for yourself though. Some romance, perhaps?”

 Fareeha tried to answer nonchalantly, “Eh, a boyfriend here, a girlfriend there. Nothing long-term.” She paused. “…what about you? Anything going on now?”

“Oh no,” Angela scoffed, “A few dates maybe, but I’ve been between too many places to hold anything down.”

“Good! I mean not good! I mean…can I go into my whole speech about why you should re-join Overwatch now?”

 Angela frowned. She wanted more time with Fareeha that wasn’t clouded by Overwatch’s presence. But she listened to what her friend had to say, coming out of it no more persuaded than she was.

“Fareeha, no. Overwatch was shut down for a reason. Maybe it's best it stay that way.”

“The world is falling apart and you’re just stuck here, Angela” Fareeha snapped. “I know you think that you could do more every day. I know miss working for Overwatch, even though you’d never admit it.  I know you know that Overwatch needs you.”

 Fareeha’s brown eyes met Angela’s. Angela had always been drawn to her eyes- she always felt they could somehow see into her soul. She remembered those nights when she would confide in her friend her fears, her dreams, everything. Those brown eyes would meet her with complete understanding, every time.

“…I can’t. I’m sorry.”

 A silent couple of minutes passed between the two.

“However,” said Angela, breaking the tension, “I do have a mission I think we should do here in Oasis.”

Looking down at her feet like am upset child, Fareeha muttered, “I’m listening.”

“Well, an anti-Omnic group have about 20 Omnic freedom fighters held just a few miles away. With all the resources concentrated on the high-conflict part of Oasis further north, we’ve struggled to gather a sufficient group that can rescue them.” Angela explained “If you have your suit, perhaps we could rescue them ourselves. I could assist you as you fly with my Caduceus staff.”

Angela had Fareeha. She knew there was no way she could refuse to help others in need. They were very alike in that sense.

Fareeha raised her head, “When could we start?”

“Tomorrow. If it’s successful, it shouldn’t take more than a day.”

“Let’s do this.” Fareeha grinned.

 

* * *

 

 

 Angela picked up Fareeha from her hotel in a rundown SUV early the next morning. As they drove south towards their destination, Angela explained the plan.

 

“So, we take them by surprise and supress the hostiles as quickly as we can. They won’t be expecting your suit, so we’ll have an advantage there. There aren’t many of them, but they do have some dangerous weapons, including two automatic turrets at the entrance to the base that will start shooting at us as soon as we’re in their range. But, I have a plan for that.”

Fareeha sat in the passenger seat, listening as her friend spoke. She smiled, considering that for all her protests against war and violence, Angela was a pretty damn good strategist.

“Do tell.”

“Well, the turrets are pretty powerful, but they’re old. Their casing will be weak. I’m thinking that if I boost you with my caduceus staff, you’ll be able to take them out in no time. The problem is that they will be firing at you.”

“My suit can take it- it’s dealt with worse than turrets.”

 “Well, let’s hope you’re right. I can deal with any physical injuries they inflict whilst we flank them. Once we’ve taken the hostiles out, we can help the abducted. I’m relying on the Red Cross to send a coach out to bring them to a safe place.”

 

 About a mile out from the location, the two stopped to change into their combat gear, which had been stored in the SUV.

 “It’s funny seeing you in that outfit again” Fareeha commented, going through the safety checks of her suit.

“Yes, without all the Overwatch paraphernalia this time.” Retorted Angela, looking up from assembling her staff. She could not help but blush slightly when she saw what Fareeha looked like in her suit. The blue tint of its metal shimmered in the hot sun, drawing attention to the sheer size of it. Angela could not begin to imagine how much it weighed, yet Fareeha carried it on her body as if it were nothing.

“You ready?” Fareeha asked, turning her comms link on.

“Ready and waiting.” Smiled Angela.

“And you’re sure your staff will be able to maintain the connection while I’m flying?”

“As long as you stay within its reach. I trust you to not let me fall to my death, of course.”

“Of course.”

 

Flying with Fareeha was in fact exhilarating. As they approached the base, Angela, or Mercy as she was known in the field, had to make an effort to maintain focus on the mission.

 As predicted, the turrets began to fire as they approached the base, which was situated on a hill, hidden by vast countryside.

“Use your booster, I’ve got this!” Fareeha shouted over the comm. Within seconds both turrets were out, and it appeared that neither of the women had suffered any injuries.

  Fareeha blasted a rocket towards the entrance, making a gap in the wall for the two to enter. Both were met with a barrage of gunfire. Following Angela’s strict instructions of no lethal force, Fareeha responded with a concussion blast. Angela floated down from her position in the air, succeeding the blast with hits with her sonic gun. Once laded, she quickly counted the unconscious militants on the floor.

“There’s about 5-7 hostiles left- no more than that. If old plans of the building are right, the prisoners will be locked in the basement downstairs. Let’s move quickly, and stay alert.”

 Together, the two took out 4 militants as they made there way down, and another 2 that were guarding the basement. Finally reaching the prisoners, Angela quickly rushed to inspect any emergency injuries as Fareeha took watch.

“How are they?”

“In bad shape, but nothing that can’t be treated once we’re somewhere safer. Let’s go quickly before more arrive- the Red Cross have said they’ll meet us at a check-point 10 minutes away.”

 

“Ok, let’s move. I’ll go at the front of the crowd you go to the back. We’ll get them back safely Angela, I promise.”

 

“Thank you, Fareeha.”

 

* * *

 

 Angela’s boss, Fatima Adib, looked at the doctor pensively.

“I did the right thing” Angela said, looking at the ground. It had been a few hours since she had rushed into the hospital where the Red Cross was based in Oasis, bringing with her 20 dishevelled hostages, and a majestic looking woman in a shiny metal suit.

“I know you did.” Fatima replied, her stare not shifting. “I’m not going to discipline you. I’m just waiting for what comes next.”

Sighing, Angela’s gaze met Fatama’s. “That mission…it proved to me that I’m needed in the field. It proved to me…”

“That you’re needed at Overwatch.”

“Yes.”

“Red Cross will be losing a valuable Doctor. Your talents are un-paralleled…”

“I…” Angela tried to interject. Fatima raised her finger and finished her sentence.

“BUT, I agree with you. There’s only so much you can do here. Go out and save the world.”

 

* * *

 

 

A day letter, Angela was on a small jet heading to Gibraltar. She had not slept that night, kept up by her constant anxieties over what was to come, and the self-doubt of her impulsive decision. Still, she was awake, looking down at the blurry landscape of Iraq. Next to her was Fareeha, snoring softly. She thought about how driven Fareeha was- how she had an unrelenting desire to help people and bring justice. When they first met, Fareeha was only 12. Yet even then she was a force of nature. The both of them became adults together, under the shadow of war. Despite all the chaos, all the death- Fareeha had always been Angela’s anchor. When she left, denied entry to the very organisation in which she grew up, a gap formed in Angela’s life that never grew back.

 

But now they were together again, and with Fareeha at her side, Angela knew she could do this.

 


	2. Returning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her best friend Angela back, Fareeha begins to think about past relationships. Meanwhile, Overwatch begins again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A light chapter before we get into the gritty stuff!

_Chapter 2_

The women arrived on the Gibraltar base in the early hours in the morning. They were greeted by Reinhardt, who was on night duty, before stumbling into their rooms and passing out. The past few days had been exhausting for the both of them, and even sleeping in the uncomfortable, creaky beds at the base were enough to fantasise about. After a mere 4 hours of sleep, Angela was up to be debriefed by Winston. Meanwhile, Fareeha got up to eat breakfast before her first day of training with the reformed team. The old canteen was not up and running, and so the team were using one of the smaller residential kitchens as the communal eating area. Fareeha remembered making cookies with Jack in that particular kitchen. No room in the base seemed to be without memories tied to it.

 Sitting by himself at the table was Mcree, eating chocolate cereal sleepily. He raised his arm to say hello.

“So, you got Angela on board? Gotta say, that’s quite an achievement. If that woman is anything like she used to be, she’s as stubborn as hell.”

“It didn’t take much for her to come around. I knew as soon as she suggested we do a rescue mission together that she was going to be coming back with me.”

“Heh, well let’s hope she’s still in a flexible enough mood.”

“Why?” Fareeha sighed with a tone of dread as she broke some eggs into a pan. Acting as a voice of reason for Angela could be exhausting sometimes. Mcree was right, she was incredibly stubborn.

“Genji’s back with his brother- yah’ know the one who…”

“Who tried to murder him, yes.”

“They arrived soon after you left. Genji still insists that we can trust him, but obviously the rest of us aren’t that easy with a life-long assassin that can kill a family member being on our team. Still, he ain’t hard on the eyes.”

“You’re a pig Mcree.”

“I just tell ‘em how I see ‘em. Anyway, I don’t think Angela’s gonna take that well to it all. Yah know how close Genji and her were.”

“Yes, I do.” Fareeha muttered, trying to hide her insecurities on the matter. Angela had brought Genji back from what seemed like certain death. Fareeha had just began training for the Egyptian army at the time, and was not in the greatest place personally herself, having been refused entry into Overwatch by her own mother. On her visits back, she witnessed the growing relationship between the Doctor and her patient. Fareeha never quite knew what the exactly was going on between the two, or even if it was romantic, but there was a strong bond between the them nonetheless.

“…soooo- how do you think she’s going to be about it?”

“I don’t know! Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Fareeha replied sharply.

“Sheesh girl, can’t a guy make conversation?” Mcree’s eyes went to the stove, “your eggs are burnin’, by the way.”

“Fuck.” she said, as she quickly dished her semi-blackened eggs onto the plate and walked out the room. If she engaged in this conversation any longer, her feelings would be sure to come out in sheer frustration.

“Well, good morning to ya’ too.” Mcree shouted out the room, and went back to enjoying his cereal.

 

* * *

 

 An hour later, Fareeha was walking to the gymnasium to begin the first day of team training. Accompanying her was Lena, which gave Fareeha to chance to indulge in her feelings for Angela. Lena was, as far as Fareeha knew, the only one who knew about her crush for the Doctor. She seemed to have worked it out within days of observing the two together. Lena called it a “lesbian’s intuition”, which Fareeha was sceptic about. Still, it was a great relief to have someone to vent to.

“I really don’t think anything went on between them.” Lena chirped.

“I don’t know, Ange never said anything about it.”

“Exactly! Angela told you everything.”

“Angela told you what now?”

Fareeha looked round and froze. Angela stood behind them, having caught up with the pair as they had been talking. Lena was quick to construct a fake topic.

“Told you abouuttt…funk music! We were chatting about how you got Fareeha here into funk music. Good times, gooood times.”

“Oh yes I did, didn’t I! What can I say, no music collection is complete without a bit of James Brown!”

 A few silent moments passed as they continued to walk, Angela seemingly oblivious to the real conversation that had been going on.

“So, Ange.” Fareeha said in a panic. “Genji and his brother are back. What do you think?”

Lena gave Fareeha a look, silently questioning why she had brought Genji up.

“I think it’s ridiculous. Mein Gott, Hanzo tried to kill Genji! How can we have a man like that in our ranks? A man that could do such a thing to his own brother? I will be talking to Genji as soon as I get a chance alone.”

“Yes, good idea.” Fareeha paused, “you know, I always wondered if there was something between you two.”

Lena’s expression grew into a pained astonishment.

“Oh, no. Our friendship was very special, but not like that.”

“Well, maybe something could happen now. You know, different time and all that.” Fareeha commented. She tended to do this as a defence mechanism towards anyone she felt a certain way to- never wanting to become vulnerable or exposed, she would act with indifference.

“What? No. Fareeha, I don’t see him in that way.”

“Exactly!” Lena sputtered, trying to salvage the direction Fareeha had taken the conversation “You know, I heard he became all spiritual anyway. What’s up with that?”

“Lena!” Angela gasped, “you should be glad our friend has found peace.”

Lena bowed her head in embarrassment, and quickly mumbled “Yes you’re, right that was very disrespectful I’m sorry.”

She hit Fareeha subtly in the back in frustration.

 They arrived at the gym doors, hearing the chatter coming from the room on the other side.

“Well, here we go.” Angela said nervously. She looked over at Fareeha.

Fareeha looked back and smiled in reassurance, and together they walked into the room.

* * *

 

 

 It appeared they were late, as every other member of the team were waiting in the gym. Before Angela got a chance to approach Genji, Lucio latched onto her, showing off his healing technology that had been inspired by her caduceus staff, leaving Lena to quietly grill Fareeha over what had just happened. Genji himself was talking to his Master, Zenyetta, an omnic monk who had wished to join Overwatch in support of the peace efforts. The other Shimadda brother, Hanzo, was in a corner, listening to Mcree chat away at him, looking uncomfortable in himself, but slightly amused at what the man had to say. Reinhardt and Tobjorn were having an argument over the setting up of equipment, and Winston stood in the centre of the crowd with an expression of slight bewilderment, realising that he had taken Jack’s old job of having to control this strange array of people.

Eventually, the training began. The first day was meant to establish team techniques among the new line-up of members. Various exercises, obstacle courses and scenarios were used for each person to show-off their skills. This gave a chance for Fareeha and Angela to exhibit their combination of flight and healing, which Lena gleefully labelled “Pharmercy”. As the day went on, a sense of naturalness came over their interaction as a team, as if Overwatch had never dissolved. Even Hanzo gained the praise of several members, impressing everyone with his talents as an archer. Everyone but Angela, who seem to refuse his existence.

 In the evening, they all ate together- sharing several pizzas. Frozen food was a staple at the base, as supermarket trips were a risky venture when they were still an illegal organisation. Yet that mattered little as the exhausted group began to tell stories of their memories at the base.

“Do you remember,” Genji laughed, taking a bite out of his pizza, “when Lena and Mcree convinced Torb that “furies” was slang for “friends”? He went around calling everyone that for two weeks!”

The room burst into laughter.

“I still don’t see how that was funny.” Torbjorn muttered.

“Or how about that time everyone got raging drunk at Fareeha’s 18th?” Angela giggled.

“Oh Christ, yeah! Reinhardt, you were hugging people all night, being all teary eyed” Lena said, giving her friend a pat on the back.

“Even Jack and Gabe were hammered. I didn’t even know could happen.” Fareeha recalled.

“It was because your Mother was servin’ them tons of alcohol all night.”, laughed Mcree, “at some point all three of ‘em were on the table together singin’ “Hips Don’t Lie”.  I don’t think ah’ll ever be able to get Jack’s impression of Shakira out of my head.”

The laughter swelled, but Fareeha couldn’t help but feel a sad sense of nostalgia as she thought about that night. The image of her mother and her two father-figures being so happy, so normal, it was enough to make her cry. Only a few years later, things began to fall apart. Jack and her Mother got caught up in the backlash against Overwatch, and Gabe drifted away from everyone, becoming bitter and isolated. He had never been the most cheerful man, and Fareeha knew that as leader of Blackwatch, his methods were somewhat questionable. But he was funny and cared about everyone on the team deeply. He would be there as a source of comfort for whenever Fareeha got frustrated with her mother, and never treated her as if she were naïve little girl like many others did. Yet in those final years, he became a ghost of his former self. Fareeha could hardly recognise the man she once knew.

“It seems you guys were really close.” Lucio smiled.

“We had to be,” sighed Reinhardt, “with the things we saw, sometimes all we had was each other to relieve the pain.”

“Well,” Lucio responded, raising his drink, “to Overwatch.”

“To Overwatch”, everyone cheered.

 

 In high spirits, people began retiring to their bed. As they did, Fareeha snuck out of the residency building and made her way across the base. The warm night air carried with it a sense of calm as she walked rhythmically, trying to block out any emotion before she got where she wanted to be. Fareeha had not been at this base since the explosion at the Headquarters, and there was something that she had been meaning to do there for a long time.

 

 She walked up a small cliff edge that overlooked the beach and sat on a bench that gave a stunning view of the ocean. Adjacent to it was a gravestone- worn and unkept.

 

“Hi Ummah”.

 Fareeha laughed to herself at the silence. Part of her still expected a reply to come from behind her. It took her years to accept her Mother’s death. For so long, she was adamant that Ana was still alive. Fareeha always went through radio signals, checked deep in the internet, tried to find any sign that her Mother might be trying to contact her. But the years went on and nothing came, and Fareeha found herself realising that all that anger she held over what she thought was a purposeful disappearance was, in fact, over a dead woman. For that, she had never quite got over the guilt.

“I’m sorry I haven’t visited you in so long, but I’m pretty sure it was illegal for me to step foot on this base. Actually, it still is. Oh well, strength in numbers I guess.”

…

“Overwatch is back together! Well, kind of. We owe Winston that. It’s not what it used to be. No you, no Jack, no Gabe. But it feels…right. And the world needs Overwatch. God, it feels like everything you fought for is becoming undone. You’d be so angry Mama. I can just imagine you going off on one of your rants about how stupid some people are and that politicians always seem to need to have their hands held.”

 Fareeha reached down and took a fist of grass from the ground and continued.

“I’m scared really. Not of fighting, not of this Reaper guy- I was in the army, I’m not afraid of death. I’m scared that we won’t be able to do this without you. That it will all go wrong and Talon will win.”

She took a breath in.

“This is the part where you’d tell me to stop being silly. That I have strength in myself and I can achieve anything from it. And then you’d tell me that Overwatch will do fine as long as it has an Amari to keep it in check.”

A moment passed. Fareeha closed her eyes and listened to the waves crashing against the cliff wall. Her hand unclenched and the torn-up grass fell from her hand. She got up.

“Thanks, Ummah.”

 

Walking back to her room, Fareeha felt lighter than she did just an hour ago. As she entered the residency building, a person was watching her from a window. Angela smiled, knowing her friend had found some peace.

 

 

* * *

 

 2 weeks passed, mainly comprised of training, and one small rescue mission in Cyprus that only Lucio and Lena took part in. Most of the team were anxious to get involved at the heart of the conflict, however Winston warned of the illegality of Overwatch, arguing they had to find the right time to reveal themselves as an active organisation. The opportunity came when one morning the gorilla announced he had received a message from a member of the MEKA unit in the South Korean army.

 

“Her name is Hana Song, otherwise known as D.VA” Winston informed the group, “She heard about us “through the grape-vine” so to speak. As you should all know, the South Korean government is heavily entangled in a war against the Omnics. Hana has now told us that factions of both sides want to engage with peace negations, and need some protection from rival factions, and importantly Talon, as the process goes on. That’s where she wants us to come in. We would guard the building and look out for any threats.”

  
 “Well, of course we will do it,” Angela exclaimed, clapping her hands together, “this is what we are here for, after all.”

“Well erm, yes of course.” Winston responded “but it is a question of how the UN will respond if we do. Zenyetta, Athena and I have been preparing our legal case for Overwatch’s reform, but I’m not sure if it is ready yet.”

“Can it ever be ready, Winston?” Angela pleaded, “You knew this would be a problem when you sent that recall message. The fact of the matter is, we have an opportunity here to make a positive contribution to the peace process. We can’t miss it.”

Lucio interjected, “I agree with Ange. Way I see it, if we don’t, we’d be letting down all those people in South Korea that are dying under this war.”

“I’m in.” Fareeha said, raising her arm in a vote. The entire room followed in agreement.

“Ok team, looks like it is unanimous. I am very proud of the sense of duty you all have. Angela and Lucio are right, we have a responsibility here.” Winston remarked.

“Say Winston?” Reinhardt said sheepishly.

“Yes, my friend?”

“Will we be meeting Ms. Song on this mission?”

“Oh yes! She has explicitly said she wants to meet us before the mission.”

Reinhardt let out of cry of jubilation. “Oh, how wonderful! I am such a big fan of hers. Such a talented soldier she is.”

“Hey man, I love D.VA too!” Lucio cheered, going in for a high-five. “Have you seen the last movie she was in? Man, it was awesome.”

“Of course! I have a limited-edition poster in my room.”

 As the two men expressed their admiration for their idol, Fareeha turned to talk to Angela, who had been sitting next to her through the meeting.

“It was nice to see you get passionate about Overwatch. Looks like you believe in it again.”

“I believe in what it could be, Fareeha. We mustn’t make the same mistakes we did the last time.”

“I agree, and we won’t.” Fareeha smiled, putting her hand on Angela’s shoulder.

 

3 days of plans and preparation went by, before all but Winston, who stayed to guard the base, were on their way to South Korea. Overwatch was about to take their first official mission as a team in 6 years.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena is a huge dork and I love her. Next chapter will be posted soon- it's going to be an exciting one.


	3. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch take part in their first mission as a reunited team, but will they come back the same?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for mild violence. 
> 
> This was exciting to write. I hope I captured Jesse's, Fareeha's and Angela's friendship well. The next chapter might take a while to write as I have a lot of uni work to do- but this is a nice retreat from it all and I hope it won't be too long. Sorry if the exposition is slightly clunky.

  _Chapter 3_

The team arrived in Seoul, South Korea, and half promptly went to meet Hana in a warehouse near the building where the negotiations would take place. Torbjorn, Pharah, Bastion, Genji and Zenyetta remained in the jet to set up, and not draw any more attention to the group than necessary.

 

Mercy, Lucio, Reinhardt and Tracer entered the warehouse, whilst Hanzo and Mcree took lookout duty. They walked into Hana playing video games in her mech, seemingly unphased by the gravity of the situation she was in.

Mercy began, “Hello Hana, this is…”

She was abruptly interrupted by Lucio and Reinhardt, as they both rushed towards the girl in excitement.

“Hi! D.VA! My name is Lucio I’m your biggest fan.” Lucio professed.

Reindhardt followed, “Haha! Well it is I, Reinhardt, who may, in fact, be your biggest fan. LITERALLY! I am referring to my gigantic size of course.”

“Oh my gosh! It’s an honour to meet you both. Lucio, I love your music. And Reindhardt, my Mom used to love you.” Hana responded excitedly.

“Oh, well now I feel old.” Reinhardt exhaled.

“As I was saying,” Mercy asserted with an obvious sense of impatience in her voice, “These _boys_ are Lucio and Reinhardt. My name is Angela, but I am known as Mercy in the field. Likewise, Lena here is codenamed Tracer.”

“Thank you all so much for coming. We need all the help we can get if we want these peace negotiations to finish. I fangirled so much when I heard rumours that Overwatch was recalled. Then I realised, who would be better to protect us?”

“We’ll do everything we can Hana,” Tracer reassured, “where do you wan' us?”

“We’ll be doing negotiations in less than an hour. We need people at every side of the building. There’s like, 10 of us MEKA units, including me, that will be with you. It’ll hopefully be finished within 6 hours, but it could be longer.”

 

 

  The group returned to the jet and set up their teams. Bastion, Reinhardt and Torbjorn would guard the back entrance; Genji and Lucio took the left side of the building; Zenyetta and D.Va took the right; Mercy, Pharah and Mcree the front; and Hanzo would take the top of the building as a sniper, with Tracer assisting on all fronts.

 Everyone took their places, and time passed with no disturbances, except from a few protesters. Both Pharah and Mercy, used to this type of work in their fields, guarded patiently. Mcree, however, grew restless.

“Is it bad I kind of want somethin’ to happen now?” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Something IS going to happen now, and you’re going to regret saying that.” Pharah replied, throwing one of her micro-rockets up and down.

“I think he just wants Hanzo to come down to save him.” Mercy smirked.

“Ah’m not ashamed of who I like. Just because you can’t drop something that happened years ago doesn’t mean I ain’t going to. Besides, the guy is funny when ya’ get to know him, and boy, can he shoot.”

“I think so too,” Pharah teased, “maybe even better than you.”

“Woah there. Now you just gone and hurt my feelings.”

 The three of them laughed, enjoying the closeness of their friendship once more.

 

Then the bomb went off.

 

The blast came from the left of the building. Pharah, who was closest to its proximity, was pushed violently forward, rendering her unconscious as she landed. Mcree, positioned furthest from the explosion, had just enough time to leap onto Mercy, who he instinctively knew, with Lucio most likely taken out, would be crucial to whatever happened next. Both their bodies were flung like rag dolls onto the decorative lawn in front of them. Still fortunately awake, Mcree groaned as he rolled off the Doctor.

“Ange…”

“I know.”

Mercy got up, doing all she could to ignore the pain that was surging through her body. She pressed down a button on her staff and cried “I will watch over you!”

 Her suit surged in power as it lifted her into the air. She spotted Pharah, unconscious, several feet away from her. As much as it pained her, Mercy knew that she was not her priority. The suit would have protected her from any major damage, considering the distance she was from the blast. The urgency right now was over those caught in the centre. She continued to fly, assessing the casualties that she was heading towards. 2 MEKA suits were still up, with another down and being exited by its pilot. They could be dealt with later. Several guards were sprawled out over the space, wounded. The staff’s healing tendrils connected to them, restoring them to point of health. She then spotted Genji, injured near a bush that he had been launched into. She went to his aid.

“Angela.”

“I’m here Genji.” Mercy said soothingly, as she healed him.

“No, Angela. I will be fine now, thank you. Lucio. He was the one who spotted the bomb before it went off. He ran from it, but I don’t know how far.”

  Mercy turned around quickly and rose up to get a better view. Within seconds she identified Lucio, gravely injured and nearest to the building. She descended to him.

“Lucio? Lucio, talk to me.”

No response came. He was unconscious and losing blood quickly. She knew what she had to do. Swiftly, she pressed two buttons, one on her staff, and another on her suit, and positioned her staff above Lucio’s body.

Energy poured out of both the staff and suit. Lucio’s body glowed in response, and within a matter of seconds his body was rid of all injuries. He gasped as he returned to consciousness.

“What in the f---” he exclaimed, as he began to take in his surroundings.

“Lucio, are you ok?”

“I…I think so…”

“Brilliant. Now if you put your healing crossfade on, can you help me care for the injured?”

“I…yeah…ok…I’m gonna pretend you didn’t bring me back from the dead, cause I’m pretty sure that’s what just happened.”

“Thank you, and you weren’t quite dead.” Mercy said as she ran back towards the front of the building, her suit powering down from its temporary power upsurge.

“Fareeha!” She shouted, noticing that her friend was no longer in the place she had last seen her.

“Ange…I mean Mercy. You alright?” Mcree rushed towards her.

“Yes, I’m fine. Where’s Fareeha?”

“She regained consciousness and went to see if the others were ok. Hanzo and me are keeping watch at the front. Any casualties?”

“No, I sorted it. Lucio’s got it now.”

“You’re a miracle worker girl. We gotta’ keep our guard up though. I don’t think this is the end of it all.”

 Angela was about to respond when she saw Fareeha flying towards them. Before she could help it, she flew up towards her and gave her a hug.

“Fareeha, I’m so glad you’re ok. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you, it was just that there were worse injuries elsewhere.”

“Hey, I understand, I’m glad you’re ok too.” Pharah smiled. “Now I _think_ we may need to go down and get ready to fight some bad guys. I’m also carrying you now and with your suit you’re quite heavy.”

“Oh gosh, yes, sorry.” Mercy blushed and floated to the ground.

“Is everyone ok? I’m making my way round and checking as fast as I can.” Tracer’s voice buzzed through the commes.

“Thanks to Mercy and Lucio, West side is back on its feet.” Genji’s voice responded.

“Only a few minor injuries here on the South side. My shield protected most of us.” Reinhardt then said.

“We’re all good at East.” D.VA replied.

“Us too.” Pharah confirmed.

Before anything else could be said, Hanzo’s stern tone warned, “Everyone, we have company. I see hostiles coming from the North.”

“Coming right to the front door, that’s bold.” Mcree commented.

“We’re ready for them.” Said Pharah, as she spotted a group of no more than 10 bodies make their way towards them. Most of them were standard soldiers, but two figures stood out.

 

 The first was Reaper. He was dressed just as he always was in the photos, masked by a large skull and cloaked in black. The second was someone Pharah recognised, but she couldn’t quite remember how. It was a woman- she had fiery red hair, and her thin, tall frame was clothed in a mechanical suit that seemed to be wired to her body.

“Oh no.” Mercy quivered, sounding more scared than Pharah had ever heard her.

“Moira. I’m not fuckin’ surprised.” Mcree scowled.

“Who?”

“No time to explain Fareeha. Just attack her from afar and _stay away_ from her orbs.”

The three began moving towards their attackers. Tracer rushed from behind them and began to flank from the sides. A few soldiers were taken out, but she was suddenly stopped by one of the orbs that Mercy had just warned about. It attached itself to her body, and she collapsed to the ground.

“Pharah, use your concussive blast on Tracer, now!” Mcree shouted, still running.

“But-“

“Now!” Mercy cried in conformation.

Pharah did as she was told, sending Tracer flying. The orb disconnected and carried on floating.

Still a distance from Moira, Mcree tired to shoot straight for her head. He was unsuccessful as she moved at an impossible speed out of the way. He quickly ordered over the comms,

“Hanzo, darlin’, your priority is gotta be that woman with the red hair. Shoot to kill.”

Pharah was surprised at Mercy’s lack of protest at the order. With all focus being drawn on Moira, she began to fire rockets at the Reaper.

“This is for murdering members of Overwatch.”

Reaper phased through the blasts, now dangerously close to the building in which the negotiations were taking place. Joined by Mercy, she landed and tried to pursue him on foot.

Reaper finally stopped, left with no choice but to deal with his attacker. He shot relentlessly, but with Mercy’s ongoing healing, his damage was limited.

“Oh Angela,” Reaper sniggered, his voice almost inhuman, “you thought you were so beyond all this. And now here you are again, you sanctimonious bitch.”

A streak of horror went through Mercy as the man showed some familiarity with her, but she refused to let it show. “At least I’m not dressed like _that.”_

“Your fellow Overwatch members showed the same sarcasm before I killed them, too.” Reaper phased once more, gliding behind Pharah and re-materialising in front of Mercy. He began to shoot again but Mercy was quick. She rolled out of the way, taking her gun out of her holster as she did. Reaper suddenly changed his position and shot Pharah between her arm and shoulder, targeting a weak point in the suit.

“No!” Mercy cried as Pharah buckled to the floor. Reaper’s guns returned to the doctor, aiming for her head.

Suddenly, a flurry of bullets sounded. At first, Mercy thought it came from Reaper, yet it was he who cried in pain. Behind Pharah, she saw Mcree, standing with his smoking gun.

“Oh,” Reaper coughed, astoundingly not completely immobilised from the attack “I will deal with you later, boy.” He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

“Pharah, I’ve got you.” Mercy ran to the injured woman with her staff, aiding her promptly.

As she healed, Pharah asked Mcree, “Where’s that woman?”

“Genji and Lucio are in pursuit. Guessin’ they might be fast enough to dodge her. Everyone else is dealing with the other soldiers, an’ Reinhardt’s got Tracer.  I don’t think there are many left now.”

“Thank you for saving us.”

“No problem ladies. It’s what I do.” Mcree winked, trying to lighten the mood.

Hanzo’s voice came from the comm, “Mcree? It seems Moira has fled. Genji perused her but was stopped by one of those strange orbs. What a cowardly move.”

“I got ya’. Reaper’s gone too.”

“Why didn’t he tell that to everyone?” Questioned Pharah, smiling despite the pain.

“Oh I think we know why.” Chuckled Mercy.

“Shut up, the both of ya.”

 

 

* * *

 

Despite everything, the negotiations continued. It took longer than expected, carrying on until the early morning the next day. At the end of it all, a peace treaty was made, which was by no means permanent. Before leaving, the team rendezvoused back at the warehouse with D.VA and two other MEKA soliders.  

 “Ah’ll be the first to say it- something didn’t feel quite right about that attack.” Mcree said to the group.

“I think so too. They were holding back alright.” Torbjorn nodded.

“Why would they do that though? What’s the point? They gave up like, 7 of their soldiers.” Questioned Tracer, still quite dazed from being knocked out by Pharah’s concussive blast.

“They wanted to scare us. Especially that Reaper. I don’t think that was an attack, it was a warning.” Sighed Pharah.

“Or they were testing the waters, so to speak. Everything about Overwatch’s reform before now has just been rumours. Talon now know that we are back.” Genji added.

“And Talon now has Moira.” Mercy said, her voice tinted in fear. She paused and began to explain who the woman was to those who didn’t know. “Moira was a scientist recruited by Blackwatch about 6 years before Overwatch ended. Fareeha, that’s why you recognised her. She wasn’t what you’d call a “people person” though, so she wasn’t around that much. Jack was very reluctant to have her recruited, which was understandable once you got to know her. She’s a bio-scientist, a good one too. But her methods were abhorrent, and the way she manipulated DNA was inhumane. She was part of Oasis university for a short while after Overwatch, but she left a few years back. Obviously, to join Talon.”

“Moira was rough even for us. I always thought she was the reason Gabe became like he was before he died.” Mcree murmured.

Mercy pondered on what Mcree said, something about it not quite sitting well. She dismissed it for another time.

“I know for certain that she didn't give us her worst. We need to re-think our strategy if we plan on beating Talon.”

“I want to help you.” D.VA spoke up, now out of her mech. “Being part of the negotiations and fighting with you guys made me realise that working for the South Korean army isn’t for me. It’s all so much bigger than that, you know?”

 The group looked between each other, not quite knowing what the protocol was for recruiting a volunteer.

“Well I don’t have a problem with it.” Lucio shrugged.

“Me neither.” Beamed Reinhardt.

“Well of course you two don’t…but I think it’s a good idea. We could use her talents as a MEKA fighter.” Mercy reasoned.

“Are there background checks for this sort of stuff though? Can we just bring her back?” Lena asked.

“I don’t think we have the luxury of time or numbers for that. Winston can always do some research as we fly back.” Genji answered, “Besides, Hana here seems to be a respectable and kind young woman. I think we would be lucky to have her.”

 D.VA coughed, feeling slightly awkward about the open discussion the team were having in front of her.

“Well, it’s settled then.” Grinned Mercy, who had seemed to take on the role of group leader for this mission. “Welcome to Overwatch, D.VA.”

* * *

 

 

 Back at the base, everyone scattered, doing what they could to recover from the mission and get ready for tomorrow’s training. Fareeha went to her room, fully intending to fall asleep. Yet she was wide awake as thoughts rushed through her head. She tried to consider strategies against Talon. How to avoid Moira’s fatal abilities, and to understand the murderous rage of Reaper. She allowed herself to think fondly of working with her friends, which she could not help to have enjoyed in her own, odd way. Most of all though, she thought of Angela- the way she saved all those people seemingly without any fear. The memory of her holding Angela for those few short moments in the air danced around her head, which she could not help but romanticise.

She tossed and turned, trying to clear her mind, but that image kept springing up. Fareeha knew what she needed to do. She needed to go to Angela, and just talk to her. Just by interacting, she would know that Angela did not feel the same way. She would hear the sense of friendliness in her voice, and be able to tell that there was nothing more.

  Walking downstairs towards Angela’s room, Fareeha scolded herself for her stupidity. Why was she entertaining her hopes? Why did she continue to torture herself? She was usually so content with the friendship the two had, but it was in moments like this that she slipped into tender fantasies that would only brake her own heart.

She knocked, half hoping Angela would not be in. The door opened, and Fareeha realised she needed to have something to say.

“Oh, hello Fareeha. Are you ok? Please come in.”

Fareeha sheepishly entered.

“So, what’s up?” Angela softly said.

“I just wanted to say thank you, for all that you did on the mission. For all that talk about a half-hearted attack, that initial blast could have been deadly. I don’t think we showed enough appreciation for how you handled it.”

“Oh Fareeha, it’s nothing- that’s my job. Anyway, I was there because _you_ convinced me.” Angela looked down at Fareeha’s shoulder. “How’s the injury?”

“It’s fine. I can’t believe your staff dissolved that bullet. There’s only a small scar left.”

“Can I see it?”

Fareeha swallowed. She knew Angela had seen the effect of her staff on wounds. What was so interesting about hers? Still, she went along, not allowing herself to believe that her friend might actually making a pass at her.

Fareeha lowered her shirt, revealing a barely visible scared patch of skin. Angela stroked it with her warm hands, sending shivers up Fareeha’s spine.

“Perfect.” Angela said quietly.

 A moment’s silence passed between the two. Fareeha’s heart was now beating rapidly.

“So anyway, I bet you want me out of your hair…” She nervously retorted.

“Fareeha wait. While we’re saying thank you…I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am to have you back in my life. For all those years, I missed you so much. It was almost like a part of me was missing. I don't think I quite realised that until recently.”

“Ange, you-“

Before Fareeha could finish, Angela was kissing her. She shut the shock out of her mind and kissed her back, revelling in the feeling of Angela’s mouth against hers. Her hand cupped Angela’s cheek and she kissed harder. Angela responded by putting her hands on Fareeha’s bum. Both fell onto the bed behind them, Fareeha on top. They grinded against each other, struggling to stay quiet as they moaned out of passion. Angela stopped momentarily, looking up at the flushed woman on top of her.

“Do you want to go on?” She asked, realising that she had not given Fareeha a moment to think in all of this.

Fareeha didn’t say anything, and instead began kissing Angela’s neck in response. She made her way across her skin, occasionally gliding her tongue as she did. Angela traced her finger across Fareeha’s thigh, before unbuttoning her jeans. They began to undress each other, barely able to contain themselves.

 Both had only recently showered and were dressed down post-mission. Fareeha wore a sports bra and plain pants, and looked strikingly strong. Angela was braless, and Fareeha couldn’t help but giggle slightly at the site of her breasts.

“I can’t believe I can see your boobs.”

“Oh, very mature Fareeha.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

…

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not great (or particularly comfortable) at writing smutty stuff so this is the best you'll get out of me for now. I kind of wanted to capture the awkwardness of sex, particularly in light of it being with a friend! 
> 
> I recognise the whole peace treaty situation was a bit rushed and badly explained, so I hope you can forgive me on that front. As I said at the start, the overall exposition in this chapter isn't really my best writing. 
> 
> I decided to use their code-names in the field, and switch back to their casual names in personal interactions. Please comment if it was distracting. 
> 
> I also like the idea of the team going back with D.VA and being like, "we've only known D.Va for one day, but if anything happened to her, we would kill everyone on the base and then ourselves."
> 
> If anyone is interested, I have got a playlist for this fic. Some of the music won't make sense until later: 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/117348906/playlist/2DatInC6fG5t5HDygO8fNR?si=NdmjI-0yRcW8ieSyEzLmNw


	4. Emerging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fareeha and Angela react to the night before. Angela, Mcree and Genji discuss what the presence of Moira means for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how late this is- I hope people are still on board! This is a short chapter given I am currently writing my dissertation. Hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Also sorry for the pacing issues overall. You can probably tell by the way I write that I'm an essay writer.

 

 Angela was woken up by the sounds of sea birds crying from the cliffs close to the base. Next to her was Fareeha, still asleep. It took a moment for Angela to register what had happened the night before. It was very unlike her to act on her desire so spontaneously like she did, let alone towards her best friend. Or perhaps it wasn’t. Angela wasn’t quite sure who she was anymore. It felt like she had been holding herself back all these years, only to be freed by her re-joining of Overwatch, by Fareeha. Neither of the two defined Angela, but they brought out something in her that made her feel so alive, so fluent- as if everything she did meant something.

 She did not regret last night, not at all. Angela had always felt something more towards Fareeha that was so removed from the way she felt about her other friends, but she could never quite understand it. But in that moment when Fareeha was standing there, in her room, babbling away, all Angela knew was that she wanted to kiss her. The rest of the night, nothing else mattered but the two of them.

Angela pondered on her thoughts for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth threads of sunlight that were reaching through her curtains.

“Morning.” Fareeha, said as she woke up.

“Guten Morgen.” Angela smiled, unable to tell by Fareeha’s tone if her own positive feelings of the night were requited.

Fareeha turned to face her. Her hair covered her eyes, and Angela could not help but giggle at the site of the otherwise gorgeous woman looking so bedraggled.

Fareeha smirked, “What are you laughing at?”

“You look like Animal from The Muppets.”

“Ooph, dated reference.” Fareeha laughed back.

 A second of silence passed as both women tried to judge how the other felt.

Angela, always able to feign confidence despite her doubt, went first. “I enjoyed last night…a lot, actually. I enjoyed last night a lot.”

Fareeha shifted to Angela’s level, trying to gain some composure. “Me too, Ange. Being with you was the…”

 Suddenly, an alarm went off, and Winston’s voice echoed through the room.

“Everyone! Convene at the main gym immediately. This is an emergency protocol!”

 The two looked at each other as the gorilla’s voice continued to boom in their ears.

“This is most likely a drill.” Fareeha sighed.

“Yep.” Groaned Angela.

“But we can’t miss it just in case it’s not.”

“Exactly.”

“Damn it.”

  Fareeha got up and rushed to put the clothes she was wearing from last night on. She reasoned that not everyone knew this was the case, so that shouldn’t be a giveaway. But she also knew that there was a risk of being spotted as they left the room. 

They did, of course, get spotted. And it was, of course, by none other than Lena Oxton.

“Hi Angela” She said upon first seeing the Doctor, only for her voice to rise several octaves higher as she was joined by Fareeha, “OH HI **_PHARAH_** _.”_

 Joining them as they ran out the accommodation block, Lena gleefully continued, “So, good night’s sleep girls?”

“Oh, indeed.” Grinned Angela, happy to go along with the game Lena was playing.

“How wonderful!” Said Lena, winking excessively.

“Aren’t you supposed to be like, super fast , or something?” Fareeha rolled her eyes.

“ _Yeah_ , but it’s probably only a drill, right? Probably could have missed it completely to be honest. Although I’m sure glad I didn’t. Aren’t you?”

“I am going to kill you.” Fareeha mouthed.

 

They arrived at the gym, with everyone but Mcree standing like lost sheep in the corner. Winston, the only one showing any signs of life, was positioned in front of the small crowd with a stopwatch in his hand.

“Nice of you to join us, girls.”

“Nice of you to hold a drill at 6am the morning after a mission, Winston.” Retorted Lena.

“Well, if Mcree were here, the time it took you all to come down would be just about passable. Does anyone know why he would be late?”

“Because he’s Mcree?” Fareeha said, as if to state the obvious.

“Hmmm, I don’t know about that. The guy seemed pretty shook up after the mission last night. I tried to speak about it but he kinda just brushed it off.” Lucio, who had somehow been able to put his rollerskates on and arrive before the three of them, pondered.

“It’s true.” Hanzo agreed. “He only said something about the woman that we had encountered- Moira.”

Angela frowned. Moira’s appearance had indeed been a terrible surprise. It had been pushed to the back of her mind after her night with Fareeha, but she knew that the woman’s presence in the war could quite well change everything.

In that moment, Mcree walked in, as if he thought his absence had gone unnoticed. The whole room turned.

“I’m gessin’ I’m late.”

“Noooooo…”  Genji said, his sarcastic tone carrying through his cybernetics.

Winston promptly gave a speech about the importance of acting fast in an emergency, before congratulating a rather bepuzzled Hana on her entry into Overwatch. The team dispersed for breakfast and were told to be ready in an hour for training.

 Leaving the gym, Angela turned to her friend.

“Fareeha, I’ll be back quickly, and then we can talk. But I need to talk to Jesse and Genji about Moira. With the exception of Gabriel, they knew her the best under Blackwatch. I need to get as much information on the science of her weapons if we want to defeat her.”

“I understand Ange. Go ahead. I’ll save you a protein bar or something.”

“Or something, preferably.” Angela winked, and left to round up the two former members of Blackwatch.

 

 

* * *

 

  The Doctor sat in her make-shift office with with Genji. Jesse had demanded he eat his cereal before meeting with Angela, which she agreed upon on the grounds that he eat it quickly, and perhaps choose a less sugary alternative to his usual chocolate brand.

  And so, the two sat, waiting for the cowboy to arrive. Angela remembered her initial plan to speak to Genji about his brother’s presence at the base. Yet since then, Hanzo seemed to have proven himself a valuable member of the team. She chose to speak of the man optimistically, instead.

“Your brother is settling in well, Genji.”

Genji sighed. “Oh yes, but I don’t think he has yet forgiven himself for what he did to me.”

Angela considered this for a moment. Should Hanzo make peace with the fact that he attempted to kill his brother? About to pose this question, Jesse walked into the office abruptly.

Genji, not acknowledging his presence, commented, “Hanzo _does_ appear to be making some very close friends though…”

“What was that Shimada? Do I detect a hint of jealousy there?”

“You wish Mcree. I am not attracted to unkept vagrants who look like they are going to a children’s fancy-dress party.”

“Ouch, that hurt.”

 Angela could not help but laugh. The dynamic between Genji and Mcree had not changed at all. The two always brought out the lighter side in each other.

“So, Ange, what do we owe the pleasure?” Mcree said as he fell into a bean-bag that probably belonged to one of the rec-rooms.

“I wanted to talk about Moira, and what her presence means going forward.”

Mcrees cocky grin fell. He looked down and began to play with a loose thread at his sleeve.

“Well it doesn’t mean anything good.” He muttered.

“You knew what she was like, Angela. She cared about nothing but her work and was prepared to do anything in the name of science. I suspect she experimented on Gabe, although we were never told about it. His change in personality coincided with her arrival.” Genji sighed.

“I noticed that too, Genji. Did she ever offer to experiment on either of you? Did you ever get a chance to see her genetic technology up-close?”

“Oh, she offered all right.” Mcree replied. “But only Gabe was stupid enough to take her up on it. An’ we only saw what you saw. She had that ability to drain people of their energy or whatever. Then there was her healing, which she only got because you made your science public, Ange.”

“I don’t regret that, not one bit. Her damaging technology can’t be an inversion of the formula though- the science doesn’t work like that.” Angela said.

 “Well whatever it is, it’s deadly, an’ painful. Ah’m not saying the rest of us at Blackwatch weren’t killers. We were…and some of us still are…but that’s something we carry on our souls. But Moira…she killed like it was nothin’.”

Genji shook his head. “Not even that. She enjoyed it. Those orbs could kill people arbitrarily and Moira revelled in that. Life and death seemed to be a game to her.”

“An’ now she’s part of a terrorist organisation whose only aim seems to be death.”

Angela ran her hands through her hair. “We need to find a way to destroy her tech- or at least protect ourselves against it. Overwatch is going to have to somehow get more information on her if we want to beat Talon.”

“I think so too, Angela. Whatever plan of action you propose, I will be there to support you.” Affirmed Genji.

“Me too.” Nodded Mcree.

The three of them left the office, eager to take up the 10 minutes they had left before training to spend time for themselves.

 About to go their separate ways, Angela added, “Boys, I have another quick question. Besides his change in personality, did you notice anything else that was odd about Gabe after his likely experiments with Moira?”

“I don’t think so.” Genji responded.

Hanzo looked down to the floor. He paused for a moment. Not raising his head back up, he replied, “No,” and continued to walk away.

 

* * *

 

 

  Fareeha greeted Angela with a croissant at the back of the gym. The two had a few minutes together to speak before training began.

Angela wolfed down the croissant, knowing full well doing so would make training a pain in the ass.

“Ugh, so much better than a protein bar Fareeha, good choice.”

“I’m glad you like it. So, how did your meeting with the Hardy Boys go?”

Looking up from her croissant, Angela scoffed, “God, and you say _my_ references are old. And fine, I guess. I don’t know much more than I did before. But I suspect Mcree is holding back some information about Gabe and what Moira did to him.”

“Oh, that’s…concerning.” Fareeha frowned.

“Very much so. But right now, I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about us. What were you going to say before we were rudely interrupted?”

 Fareeha panicked. She wasn’t quite sure what she was going to say. What _do_ you say after you sleep with the person you have been enamoured with since you were a child? She didn’t even know her feelings were reciprocated until the moment Angela kissed her! What if she says the wrong thing to her and loses her forever? It shouldn’t be this complicated.

 _It isn’t this complicated._ Fareeha thought.

“Just that, I don’t know where you want this to go, or even if you want this to go anywhere. But when I’m with you, everything is that little bit easier. Last night felt natural, it felt right. Basically, anything I do with you feels right, even when it’s not.”

 Angela grinned and put her hand on Fareeh’s cheek. “Fareeha, I’d love this to go somewhere.”

Fareeha brought Angela further towards her and kissed her.

 When their time alone ran out, they entered the gym, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't wait to hand in my dissertation so I can start getting into the juicy stuff!
> 
> Tracer is fast becoming my fave character to write.


	5. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena reminds Fareeha of the past in hope that she will learn from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the loooooooong wait for the update. I hope some people are still on board! This is an emotional one (if slightly short--- kind of purposeful as the next chapter is looking to be pretty long,, and this bit makes sense alone).

It was a hot Saturday afternoon and the members of Overwatch had been given the afternoon off. Much of the team had chosen to visit the local market, assuming their profiles has not been raised to the point of being noticed. Fareeha, however, was in the gym with Lena, practicing a few fighting techniques. Lena was thus far the only one who knew what had transpired between Fareeha and Angela, and was eager to discuss the relationship between her two friends. 

“So, do you still plan on keeping it a secret?” She said, panting from the set of jabs she had just performed. 

Lowering her pads, Fareeha replied, “Well, yes. Considering we don’t even know what IT is, we thought it best not to go around announcing it to everyone.”

“Fair enough…” Lena took a swig at her water and paused. “…just remember, that if you have any problems, either of you can talk to me.”

“You say that as if you’re expecting problems.”

“Well…no. I mean…”

“What, Lena?”

“Look, Fareeha, I am so excited for the both of you, I really am. But being in a relationship whilst in Overwatch brings its problems. It puts you under a lot of pressure…it makes being together so much harder, y’know. You weren’t around when Jack’s and Gabe’s relationship- something basically everyone knew was more than a friendship- fall apart. So-"

Fareeha interrupted, angrily, “I wasn’t around? I felt their split more than anyone. My mother was part of it too. I, of all people, understand what Overwatch can do to people!”

“No, I know that. I’m just saying that Ana, Gabe, Jack- they all got so caught up in themselves and their jobs that their personal lives suffered. Their relationships fell apart and so did Overwatch.” 

She raised her voice once more, “I would never be that selfish, Lena. I am nothing like my parents.”

An uncomfortable silence filled the room like fog. Lena sighed.

“I’m just saying, you should let people in. Whatever we do now, it leads back to Overwatch. If we’re open with each other, be the family that we are, we can overcome anything. If we keep secrets, or isolate ourselves, bad things happen. And…and sometimes they happen to innocent people.”

Fareeha’s anger was punctured. She knew what Lena was insinuating. 

“You’re talking about Amelie.” 

“Yeah.” Lena looked away. Fareeha noticed tears brimming in her eyes. 

“I’ve thought about these things, Lena. I know what makes a strong team, you forget I was part of the Egyptian Army AND Helix. If the time comes, me and Ange will tell everyone about us. Right now, though, we’ve got to work some things out between ourselves.”

“I get it. Sorry for being emotional and all. I guess I’ve lost too many people that I’ve loved. I can’t go through it again.”

“And you won’t. It’s different this time- I’m actually part of the team, for one thing.” Fareeha winked. “Now come on Tracey, my turn to punch the shit out of those pads.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Fareeha dreamt she was a little girl. She was in the Swiss base, looking exactly as she remembered it. Everything was big, imposing, filled with an aura of adultness that Fareeha could never comprehend when she was a child. She ran through the building’s dark halls, wanting nothing more than to be far away from where her sleep had placed her. After moving seemingly nowhere, she came across an open door. 

She went in, entering a room filled with people, laughing around a table. It was the old Overwatch team, youthful and laughing. There was Amelie, sitting with her arm around Gerard, who was making a joke that Fareeha couldn’t understand. Reinhardt was leaning on a counter with a beer, responding to Gerard with booming laughter. Torbjorn and his wife were there too, trying to control their children. Fareeha spotted a gangly and timid looking Angela on the other side of the room. McCree was flirting with her awkwardly, as Fareeha remembered he did early on, before he got to know her as a friend. Jack was sat at the table, not engaged with the senseless conversation but instead looking wistfully Gabe as he chatted with another Overwatch member. 

Then there was her mother, smiling radiantly. Fareeha instantly ran over to her, clinging to her leg for comfort. Despite the jokes and laughter, something did not feel right. She was scared, unable to make sense of the scene around her. 

“Momma?”

Ana looked down, and patted Fareeha on the head, smiling. 

The next moment, she took one step forward. As did Jack and Gabe. The room went silent. 

The three reached into their pockets, each pulling out a shot gun and pointing it at the other. 

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!  
\---  
Fareeha jolted up from her bed, covered in sweat.

“Gah!”

“Fareeha, y’okay?” murmured Angela, half asleep. 

“Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” Fareeha responded, not wanting to worry her partner. 

“Are ysure? Wanna talk ‘bout it orsomethin?” 

“I’m sure, Ange.”

“Okeh well as a Doctor I know sleep is ver ‘portant. If you’re havin’ problems ‘member to….”

Angela fell back to sleep mid-sentence. Fareeha laughed, took up her surroundings, reminded herself where and when she was, and went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did get Pharmercy together quickly for a reason. Kind of part of the plot (yes, this story is leading somewhere). Hope it starts coming together now. Action next chapter.


End file.
